Shops you are surprised are still going

[fajitaaaa]

WHSMITHS - who is buying from them? Anything other than a emergency magazine for the train and maybe a bottle of water? But some of their stores are HUGE!

FAT FACE - always a massive sale on!

Clinton's

@Runningfire PLEASE direct me to a thread/subreddit about that!

@PieonaBarm This made me laugh! They do have really odd ornaments🧐. I only noticed when last Christmas in desperation I went in to buy my sister a gold bracelet .(which was actually really nice). But I left thinking how random.

I'm middle aged and I disagree. The clothes are mainly for old people 60+.
The underwear and the heattech things are OK and they have a wide range of jeans.

A lot of the chain shops mentioned are the only ones available in more isolated areas. In the market town nearest to us, your only local choices for buying a child’s waterproof coat for school are Mountain Warehouse at the garden centre, Tesco or Morrisons. That’s it. If you want to buy makeup, it’s the small Boots or the small Superdrug. If you want something random like an electric blanket and you don’t want to wait for it to be delivered, it’s Argos in the next town or bust. The nearest city with wider shopping options is a 40 minute drive away (more at the moment with long term roadworks on the main trunk road) and the train costs an arm and a leg, so it’s more convenient to use the shops that are local. Not everywhere has big retail parks within easy reach, especially if you don’t have access to a car. And sometimes you don’t want to have to wait for a few days for delivery, you need whatever it is there and then. I think that’s a big part of how some of these places survive. Captive audience and all that!

I am baffled by the Shoe Zone and the 'plastic' shoes comments.
I get trainers or plimsolls/canvas shoes from there. They are made from fabric not plastic aren't they?
I used to get my daughters school shoes there. I suppose the black school shoes are plastic not leather - but does that matter? They were just for school.
I used to get wellies from there too - aren't wellies meant to be plastic ? So they are waterproof?
What's so wrong with plastic shoes?

Even my friend who is a travel agent can't understand why people still use them! She's desperate for redundancy but still they come!

"Ooh do tell!
I stopped buying the boddy butters when they repackaged them and tried to palm them off as "luxury" at 18 quid a tub 🤣"

I put rich foot cream all over my body - not the choice for everyone I think!

Ann Summers!!! Who is buying that shit.

@MeridianB the thing about primark is that the factories they use produce clothing and accessories for many other shops, I think Primark gets it in the neck because the myth has taken off that they are responsible for all evils.

Exactly the same fabric, machines and people make clothes for New look, supermarkets, peacocks, online stores etc.

Some of their Jeans made in Europe are also made by the same factories that produce denim for higher end brands, but with denim better fabric is often used and some detailing is done by hand for pricier brands.

But they are awful, badly made shoes that don't last. My friend is on a very very limited budget due to illness and disability, but she buys quality leather shoes elsewhere that fit properly as she says she only has 2 feet and needs to look after them as she is unable to drive. She puts aside her change every time she shops into a shoe fund jar and buys only in the sales about every 2 - 3 years. She says it's cheaper than shoe zone as when she used to buy their shoes she found she needed new too often because it was a false economy as they fell apart after 6 months

*DuncanBiscuits · Yesterday 22:05

HMV.

I went to a shopping mall for the first time in ages today and thought the same thing. It was actually quite busy though. What do people buy in there?*

Records?

"Some people still love paper books and also want to support authors.
It would be a terribly sad world with no bookshops :("

Yes, when money's tight I look in the shop and then order from Amazon, but I'm aware the shops won't stay open if everyone does this so when I can I also buy in the shop. Waterstones often has two for one.

Boots and M&S have split personalities, on the one hand you get nice, bright, modern stores selling premium beauty (in Boots’ case often with 20% off) and I’ve always found the click and collect very efficient. On the other in some towns the branches are old, too small with poor range and not enough staff, in Boots’ case like some kind of 1950s pharmacy. New Look is similar in that you get some great, spacious stores with lots of choice and then some tiny branches too. Like two different shops.

Agree, the Boots in covent garden is amazing. But some branches are awful. The M and S where my IL live, closed down about 3 years ago, but it was literally like going back to the 1980s, going in there.

I'm going to add Monsoon. Yes, a lot of it is nice but I can't justify spending those prices on clothes. I only go in when they have sales - tbh that's a lot of the time these days.

Sainsbury's. I mean who shops there?

The soles could be plastic. The fabric could easily be plastic - synthetic fabrics are, polyester is essentially plastic.

I think there's lots wrong with plastic shoes (microplastics from cheap soles and fabrics shedding every time you walk on pavements, they break quickly so need to buy more shoes, they aren't breathable or flexible enough for growing feet) but if it's all people can afford then that's all they can afford.

Just to say, two of my kids told me this year that they didn't want me getting them anything from Amazon for Christmas. Both independently come to this conclusion that Amazon is killing off the High Street. I had no idea this concept was on their radars. They've both left home.

I do and there’s always plenty of other people in there.

Me. We have a normal sized tesco near us so we sometimes nip to sainsbury's to get what tesco don't sell.
Their baby clothes are also nice for DD.

@DuncanBiscuits @Bluesheep8 my 14 year old could spend a fortune in HMV.
She buys their t-shirts, novelty key rings, mugs, plushies, badges, Oyster card holders, posters, stickers and - yes she buys DVDs and CDs.
I refuse to pay for the Japanese/American sweets they sell cos I think they are overpriced - but she would happily buy them.
HMV did the sensible thing - they evolved and adapted and are now a really good shop.

@Gwenhwyfar Steady on with your M&S ageism! I am 60+ and there is no way I'd shop there. Nor do my friends except for a few basics.

Card Factory for me. Load of shite, who wants a big plastic key to celebrate their 18th birthday? Wish people would stop sending cards too, just because they can be recycled doesn't mean they don't put pressure on the environment. Call someone instead.

"But they are awful, badly made shoes that don't last."

Sometimes that's what people need. For example, I bumped into a colleague there once. She was buying sandals that could go into the sea for a holiday. She was well aware they may not last more than one season.
I have feet of different sizes. In Shoezone I can afford to buy two pairs and use the ones I want.
I also have other problems with my feet. I can't risk buying very expensive shoes that I later have to throw away because they're not comfortable.
I find that distinctive plastic smell quite comforting, it's the smell of not too much money leaving my bank account!
Just like some cheap shops use horrible garish colours like orange and that particular blue that Primark uses. It signifies cheap, which some people are looking for at least some of the time.

I think a lot of these shops are still going because there are still some people who won't shop online or book things for themselves (so they use travel agents). I think they'll all go under in the next 5 to 10 years as that shifts.

High street jewellery chains really baffle me. They're expensive but they're not special. They seem to exist solely for unimaginative people who need a gift or an engagement ring but can't be arsed to put any thought into it.